Together

Together, acrylic on canvas, 7x5 in. available at the Women's Museum of California, located at Barrack 16, Liberty Station, San Diego, California.

The Hungarian National Museum, in Budapest, Hungary, was founded in 1802. Among its treasures, they have Francisco de Goya's "La Aguadora", oil on canvas, painted around 1812, Velazquez "El Almuerzo", Monet's "Fishing Boats", Manet's "Lady with Fan", plus Van Gogh, Toulouse Loutrec, Kokoshka, Picasso, etc. What surprised me the most, was to learn that they have the largest collection of Goya paintings outside Madrid. This beautiful museum is in front of Hero's Square, right where the big city park starts. Highly recommended visit.

In My Dreams

In My Dreams, acrylic on canvas, 7x5 in. available at the Women's Museum of California, in San Diego, California.

The word "Mandala" is from Sanskrit, and is translated as "magic circle". Mandalas appear in many cultures, as a symbol of wholeness. It is a pattern that appears in nature. Mandalas became a central theme in Carl Jung's work as a healing tool to aid in the process of individuation= becoming a whole person. Carl Jung also said: "The soul speaks in image".

Alizarin and Friends

Alizarin and Friends, watercolor, 6x12cm, available
When I don't know what else to paint, I paint my paintbox! Alizarin Crimson is that pretty red you see there, the others are his friends...

Today I did a presentation at the Pastel Society of San Diego. I talked about doing sketchbooks, and showed them some of my sketchbooks from 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012. Second, I talked about my artist residency in Budapest, Hungary, this past July: my work, museum visits, and visits to some specific artists' studios in Budapest, like Nora Gergely. Nora is a conceptual artist I greatly admire, who works in Budapest.

Health Care

Health Care, watercolor, 11x14 in. available matted, at the San Diego Watercolor Society Holiday Bazaar , this weekend and next weekend, December 1 and 2, and December 7 and 8, San Diego, California.

"The artist must have something to say. Her work is not to master the forms, but to adapt the forms to its content, to what she's trying to say." ---- Vassily Kandinsky

Sharing the Knowledge

Sharing the Knowledge, watercolor, 12x15 in. available at the San Diego Watercolor Society Holiday Bazaar sale on December 7 and 8, matted unframed.

Painting with light: For shadows, always go to the light source, but reflections are always vertical. They follow different set of rules. Don't ever forget that we paint the ILLUSION of realism. We strengthen this illusion by the way we handle value, the way we create contrast. "You can see a lot by observing" said Yogi Bear.

The Thinker

The Thinker, watercolor, 12x16 in., available at the SDWS Holiday Bazaar, San Diego, California. This is special sale of member's artwork matted but unframed. Sale takes place on December 7 and 8 only. The San Diego Watercolor Society is at Liberty Station, 2825 Dewey Road, San Diego, California. Come make your shopping for the holidays!!

Marco-Olivier

Marco-Olivier, commissioned pastel portrait, 65x50cm. (25.5x20in.)
Marco's mother commissioned a portrait of her young son, killed in an automobile accident. I looked at several pictures of him, and decided to paint his portrait surrounded by smaller pictures depicting his  hobbies, to celebrate the life he had lived. Marco loved the mountains, and speed sports.

YOU ARE INVITED: Next Sunday, December 2nd, I will be doing a demonstration at the San Diego Pastel Society meeting in the Point Loma Library, San Diego, California. The theme is: "Sketchbooking,  painting in Hungary and France in the Summer of 2012". It will start at 2:00pm, free.